Why generic platforms weren't built for this.
They're built for ordinary, low-risk shops. Selling research compounds online needs bank-ready compliance, payments you actually own, and operations built for this industry. Those are the exact things generic platforms can't give you, at any price tier.
| What you actually need | Shopify | WooCommerce | pep.app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taking card payments for this industry | ✕ Bans the category | On your own to set up | ✓ Card, Venmo, Zelle & wire in accounts you own |
| Can they shut you down? | ✕ Suspends you on a review | Depends on your host | ✓ No one can pull your store |
| Getting approved by the bank to get paid | ✕ Can't pass the bank's checks | ✕ Do-it-yourself add-ons | ✓ Every required check, built in |
| Age checks, research-use labeling, state blocking | Add-on apps, fragile | Plugins, by hand | ✓ Enforced on every order |
| A tamper-proof record of every order | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ Signed, timestamped, anytime |
| Lab reports (COA) on every product | Custom build | Custom build | ✓ Built in for this industry |
| Day-to-day operations & shipping | Generic apps | Generic plugins | ✓ Shipping labels, scan-in stock, auto-reorder |
| Label design & printing | ✕ Not offered | ✕ Not offered | ✓ We design + print them, shipped to you fast |
| Who carries the risk | You, alone | You, alone | ✓ A team that runs it too |
This is what “built for this” actually looks like.
Three screens from peaq, a real store running on pep.app right now. The controls a processor asks about are on the page, not in a roadmap.
Three different things wearing the word “platform.”
A hosted store that bans your category. Fast to launch, but you rent it, and their risk team decides whether you stay.
A shopping-cart add-on for WordPress. Every feature past the basics is a separate paid add-on, most billed as yearly licenses you renew forever, that you install, update, and keep secure yourself. You're the one wiring it all together, and your host and bank can still pull the plug.
The whole thing (payments, compliance, storefront, and operations) built, managed, and kept current for your industry. One low entry point instead of a pile of yearly license renewals, so your cash goes into inventory and growth. You own the accounts and the data; we run the plumbing.